Every blackberry has its day

Our freezer has long been a place of neglect in our kitchen. I don’t mean neglect in the don’t-open-that-door-or-you-might-find-something-living-in-there way, but rather the always-empty-save-for-some-cubes-of-ice-and-ice-cream way. A while back, I decided that one of the marks of a true grownup is a well-stocked freezer (yes, I realize that’s weird), so I started picking up a few freezer staples any time we went to the grocery store. Thanks to this new grownup-food-buying endeavor, frozen fruits and veggies have gradually made their way into our home and served us well on the occasions when we’re out of fresh produce and need something in a pinch.

Now the problem with stocking your freezer with too many frozen fruits and veggies, particularly in the summer, is that they stare back at you sadly from their cold state in those frosty bags any time you open the door. This recipe was born out of the consequential feeling of guilt. For too long an unopened bag of frozen blackberries, purchased for use in a never-made smoothie, sat in my freezer, until recently when I finally decided to give them purpose. Turns out, blackberries — even the frozen kind — are a pretty amazing addition to a basic torte, particularly one that’s warmed with brown sugar and cinnamon, two of the world’s greatest flavors. This is my favorite torte to date. And it’s officially made me a freezer believer.

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Blackberry Torte

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 cups blackberries, frozen or fresh

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together sugars and butter until they’re light and fluffy (I like to use a hand mixer for this recipe rather than the standing mixer). Add eggs one at a time, and beat well until combined. Take the time to beat this mixture until it’s super fluffy and well-mixed; I think it’s worth it.

Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet, and mix until just combined.

Use a spatula to spread mixture evenly in a 9-inch spring form pan. Press the blackberries into the batter, scattering them throughout the pan so they’re evenly dispersed. It’s OK if it the pan seems super crammed with berries; the batter will rise around them.

Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the top of the berries and batter. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over top of the torte.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until torte is a pretty golden brown and berries are bubbling.

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What’s the best thing you’ve ever made with freezer staples? What sorts of frozen ingredients do you always have on hand? Does anyone regularly keep homemade dough, crusts or stocks in the freezer? I’d love to hear about it!

XO,
Katrina